Press.



P. UPHAIVI.

PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED Auc.14. I9Is.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I P. UPHAM.

PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-14.1916.

rn. sans i.

PRESTON UPI-IAM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL PAVEMENT C0., F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0F CON- NECTICUT.

PRESS.

Original application led August 26, 1911, Serial No. 646,05.

specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention, one embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and herein described, relates to certain improvements in presses which improvements possess many features of novelty andinvention which are useful either in combination with each other as disclosed, or as used separately in any type of press. @ne of these features is my pressure creating and pressure transmission system. Another is my improved construction for operating and timing my mold opening, filling, and closing means. Many other features of novelty will be explained hereinafter.

rThis application is a divisional of my copending application, Serial No. 646,005, filed August 26, 1911.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic section of one embodiment of a press illustrative of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings 1 prefer that a pulley 1 driven from a belt 2 shall be mounted on a shaft 3, to which is keyed a pinion a'-, which meshes with a gear 6 keyed on the timing shaft 7 which is preferably mounted in bearings 8 on the base 9 of the press. It will readily be understood that through the above mentioned connections the belt 2 may drive the timing shaft 7 in an anti-clock wise direction.

Keyed on the shaft 7 is a main cam 10 against which runs the roller 11 mounted in the yoke connection 12 which preferably straddles both the cam 10 and the shaft 7. To this yoke connection 1Q is preferably attached at one end a piston rod and a pistonv Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2st, 1916.

Divided and this application led August Serial No. 114,711.

ram 1S and the displacing plunger 16 1 prefer to provide a body of liquid which in the normal operation of the press is of substantially fixed quantity and constant volume. It will readily be understood that if steam be admitted to the end 19 ofthe cylinder 15 and if the shaft 7 be revolved as heretofore explained the displacing plunger 16 will be caused to reciprocate in the hydraulic cylinder 17, being actuated on its displacing stroke by the elastic fluid in the steam cylinder 15 and being actuated on its return stroke by the cam l0. It will also be noted that the speed at which the elastic fluid moves the displacing plunger 16 will be controlled by the shape of the cam 10.

As the displacing' plunger 16 makes its inward or displacing stroke the liquid in the cylinder 17 will force the ram 1S up ward thus causing pressure to be applied to material in a mold to be hereinafter described. By thus actuating the displacing plunger by a yielding actuator on its compressing stroke I am enabled to provide a varying travel to the displacing plunger 16; for if a predetermined resistance be opposed to upward movement of the ram 1S, the pressure imparted to the displacing plunger will be balanced and the plunger 18 will be stopped on its displacing stroke. 1t will thus be noted that the actuator' for displacing means is compensative, that is compensates for discrepancy between the maximum stroke attainable when little or no resistance is encountered and the much shorter stroke attainable when a normal or abnormally greater resistance is encountered.

A great difliculty that has been experienced heretofore in utilizing an elastic fluid to actuate the displacing plunger of similar presses has been to control the displacing plunger. 1f little or no resistance be encountered on the displacing stroke the elastic fluid is likely to cause the piston and displacing plunger to move with abnormal speed and so cause damage to the press. 1n the press illustrated, however, the speed at which the displacing plunger makes its displacing stroke is positively determined by the positive speed limiting means herein 1 plunger is preferably actuated by positive means herein shown as the cani'lO acting on the roller 11 against the pressureY of the steam in the cylinder' 15. I prefer, however, to provide theV cylinder 15 with a valve vso that steam may be admitted only when the displacing plunger 1G is to make its Com'- .a valve stem 25 provided with a roller 26 against the cam 27 mounted on the timing shaft 7. To maintain the roller against this cam Iprefer to provide a spring 28. The hereinbefore described compressing instru- Vmentalities Apreferably cooperate with molding, meld opening and closing, and material handling instrumentalities or which a preferred construction is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. For the purposes of such claims as are directed more specifically to the pressure mechanism it is immaterial how the opening` and closing of the mold is acconfiplished7 whether by movement of the meld rr mold cover or both.'

is illustrated I prefer to provide a pedestal 29 for a vertical column 30 provided with a cellar 31 on which is mounted a rotatable mold carrier provided with a plurality of molds herein shown at 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40. Each of these molds is preferably provided with an individual mold plunger 211.

rlhe proportions of the mold carrier are preferably such that, as the mold carrier is revolved by mechanism to be hereinafter described, the meld plungers will be brought successively above the ram 18 so that the latter may apply pressure to the mold plungers-(L1 Above the ram 18 I prefer to provide an unyieldingabutment 42. As herein shown this unyielding abutment 4t2 is supported by the pressure receiving column 4-3 and the mold carrier supporting column 30 and is heldin position against movement by the pressure from the ram 18 by nuts 44 and 45 on the columns 43 and 30 respectively. The mold carrier 32 (Fig. 2) revolves intermittently in a clockwise direction preferably making as many stops during one revolution as `there are molds therein contained.

To fillthe molds I prefer to provide above the molds in position 35 a vertical neck 11L having a hopper 41 which may be filled with uncompressed material of a granular nature such as crushed stone coated with asphaltic cement for the manufacture of asphalt paving blocks.

After the material has'been compressed -in--the mold in position 36 I prefer to provide block ejecting and removing means which may be positioned adjacent thc mold in position 37.

As illustrated in the drawings (Fig. I prefer to supply elastic lluid actuated block ejecting means including the steam cylinder L16, provided with a piston 47, a piston rod 1S connected by a connecting` rod Ll5) to one arm of a bell crank 50, the other arm of which is beneath the mold plunger of the mold 37.

Any suitable valve mechanism as shown at 51 operated by any suitable cam on the timing shaft 7 may time the operation of this form of ejecting mechanism.

To cause the intermittent rotation of the mold table I prefer to supply a yielding actuator cooperating with positive speed determining' means.

ris illustrated I prefer to provide a centering arm provided with a catch the latter ireferably engaging notches 5t in the periphery of the mold carrier. The catch 53 thus constitutes one form of mold carrier engagingl means. Connected to this centering arm 52 by a connecting rod 5t is a piston rod 5 5 having a piston 5G reciprocable in any suitable steam cylinder 57. I also prefer to provide the centering arm 52 with a roller 58, running against the periphery of a suitable speed determining cam 59 keyed on a vertical shaft G0 driven through bevel gears 61 and 62 from the timing shaft 7. The vertical shaft 60 (Fig. 2) revolves in a clockwise direction. The cam 59 acts as a speed determining member when the table' is heilig moved by the yielding actuator and also as a. means of returning the centering arm 52 and the piston 56 after the mold table has completed one step by step movement.

In order that the cam 59 may not be unduly taxed in returning the centering arm and connections against the pressure of the elastic fluid in the cylinder 57 I may provide valve mechanism including a slide valve G-lin any suitable valve chest G5, the former preferably being operated. by a suitable timing cam on the timing shaft 7. I prefer to provide the exhaust from this valve mechanism with a safety valve 66 so that at all times a minimum pressure may be retained in the working end of the cylinder 57.

To compensate foryany leakage from the hydraulic cylinder 17 I preferably provide a replenishing pump 67 which may be normally operable by the press attendant.

The operation of the press illustrated is as follows: In the position shown in the drawings tlie mold carrier has just completed a movement. As the timing shaft 7 revolves in a contra-clockwise direction the roller 26 enters the depression of the cam 27. This` moves the slide valve 20 to the left and permits steamg'to enter the" cylinder "15;v The roller 11 then starts down the incline of the cam 10 being actuated by the steam in the cylinder 15. The rate of'revolution of the shaft 7 however determines the speed at which the piston 14 may be moved. rl`his movement of the piston 14 causes the displacing plunger 16 to be forced into the chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 17, thus displacing liquid and causing the ram 18 to rise, compressing the material inthe mold Q6. While this takes place the mold carrier 32 is stationary because the cam 59 is returning the centering arm 52 and its connections preparatory to the next movement of the mold carrier. During this same period 'of restof the mold carrier steam is admitted by the valve mechanism 51 to the cylinder 46. v`This causes the bell crank 5() to swing and elevates the plunger in the mold 3T thus ejecting the completed block from the mold. The arm 68 then sweeps the completed block from the mold carrier onto a plate 69' and thence' onto any suitable conveyer belt (not shown) which carries the blcck through a water bath to cool and set. I prefer to actuate this sweep arm 68 from the centering arm 52 by a telescopic connection G9. During the same period of rest the mold 35 is filled by gravity from the neck above it. When the ram 18 has encountered suflicient resistance to balance the pressure of the steam in cylinder 15, which prefershall take place shortly before the roller 11 has reached the lowest point in the cam 10` the displacing plunger will remain substantially stationary but still applying a predetermined pressure until the cam 27 moves the slide valve 2O to the right shutting off the steam in the cylinder 15. This period of constant pressurel prefer to term the dwell. After the steam is exhausted from the cylinder 15, as before described, the cam 10 will again engage the roller 11 and will move the displacing plunger and its connected parts to the right so causing the ram 18 to descend. By this time the cam 59 will have moved the centering arm to the left so that the catch 53 will engage the nctch 54. Steam is now admitted by the .slide valve 6-1 to the working end of the mold carrier operating cylinder 57 which will move to the right as fast as is permitted by the cam 59. The catch 53 being entered into the notch 54 the mold carrier will be turned moving the empty mold 3l into filling position 35, moving the filled mold 35 into compressing position and moving the mold 36 with its compressed block therein into mold emptying and block removing position 37. This completes one complete cycle of operation of the press and brings it into position to begin another such cycle.

The compressing instrumentalities hereinbefore described possess many advantages over those heretofore known in the art. Uf these advantages one of the greatest is that the liquid in the chamber 17 is maintained fixed in quantity, thus obviating the passage of the liquid through. ports of any description and so promoting speed and durability of the press. Another advantage coperating with this is that a compensative prime mover for the displacing means is provided, which while fluid actuated, is controlled by positive speed determining means on its compressive stroke. Great economy of power is assured by returning the displacing means by mechanical instead of fluid pressure means for the area of the steam cylinder is necessarily great and .if steam is utilized to return the displacing means on its non-compressing stroke waste is occasioned and damage is likely to occur.

The fixed abutment above the mold table promotes simplicity of construction and speed of operation while the mold carrier operating means being fluid actuated can cause no damage if an obstruction to rotation thereof be encountered. The mold carrier operating means also promotes speed of operation without dangerous momentum of. fast moving parts because ,its speed of movement is always determined by positive means without the trouble which attends the use of a positivevactuator for such instrumentalities.

While l have shown a preferred construction of press in the drawings and have described this preferred construction, my invention is not limited to such description or operation but may be greatly varied without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I desire to secure by Letters Patent is best described in the suhjoined claims:

1. An automatic molding press comprising in combination a` mold carrier having a plurality of molds; compressing instrumentalities to compress material in said molds; elastic fluid actuated mold carrier operating means; and means to determine the speed of movement of said mold carrier.

2. An automatic molding press comprising in combination a rotatable mold carrier having a plurality of molds; compressing instrumentalities to compress material in said molds; and elastic fluid actuated mold carrier operating means.

3. A press comprising in combination a rotatable mold carrier having a plurality of molds; compressing instrumentalities to compress material in said molds; elastic fluid actuated mold carrier operating means to move said mold carrier; and positive means to determine the speed of movement of said mold carrier.

4c. A press comprising in combination a rotatable mold carrier having a plurality of molds; compressing instrumentalities to compress material in said molds; mold carer operating' means including positive means .normally Vto determine tlie speed o' movement of said mold carrier and. a yielding coperating member Wliereby damage direction.

' '0. An automatically timed molding press comprising in combination a mold, compressing instriimentalities; mold moving instrumentalities a` mold plunger reciprocable in said mold and moving With said mold during tlie operation ofsaid mold moving instrunientalities; said compressing instrumentalities when `compressing being yieldinglyactuated,y and said mold Whenever moving -beimgg` yieldingly actuated.- Y

' 7. A press;com prisin,f 1n combination a mold; compressing instrumentalities; mold moving instrumentalities; a mold plunger reciprocable in said mold and moving with .said mold during tlie operation of said mold moving instrumentalities; said compressing instruinentalities vvlien compressing being elastic fluid actuated, and said mold Whenever moving being elastic fluid actuated;

vand automatic timing means to determine the relative periods yof operation of'said compressing instruiiientalities and said mold moving inst'ruiiienta lities.

8'. A press comprising in combination a plurality of molds; compressing instrumentalities; mold moving instrumentalities; a plurality .of mold plungers reciprocable iii said molds during the operation of said mold moving instrumentalities; said compressing instrumentalities when compressing being' yieldingly actuated,- and said mold whenever moving being yieldingly actuated; and automatic timing' means to deteimiiie the relative periods of operation of said compressing instrumentalities and said mold moving instrumentalitics.

9. A press comprising in combination a. rotatable mold carrier provided With a plurality of molds; compressing instrumentalities; mold moving instrumentalities; a plurality' of mold plungers reciprocable in said molds and moving with said molds during tlie ope ation of said mold moving instrumeiitalities; said compressing instrumentalities Wlie'n compressing being yieldingly actuated.; and said mold carrier' Whenever moving being yieldinglv actuated and automatic timing` means to determine the relative periods of operation of said compressing instrumentalities and said mold carrier moving instrumeiitalities.

In testinioiiv whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

PRESTON UPHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- Washington, D. C. 

